‘We’re soft’: Sean Couturier calls out Flyers after another ugly loss, and Rick Tocchet agrees

WASHINGTON ― The Flyers lost 5-2 to the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night in what was their third straight loss. They now have just three wins in their first 15 games.

Frustration is mounting, as evidenced by two interesting things said by veterans postgame:

“At times this year, we’re soft, I would say,” captain Sean Couturier said. “Not hard on battles, and lose battles easily. It’s one thing to make mistakes and not win a battle, but if you’re in there trying hard and stuff, that’s different. But we definitely need to pick up our physicality. It goes into competing as well, I think.”

The press box at Capital One Arena was packed with scouts from different teams. Most are assigned to watch specific teams throughout the season and build reports on players for future use when discussing trade options.

» READ MORE: Flyers’ early season struggles continue with 5-2 loss to the Capitals

One scout who was asked about the Flyers’ current state said that the team is not tough to play against, is missing grit and that Broad Street Bullies flair. It was part of the lunch-pail identity the Flyers embraced last season on the way to a first playoff appearance in five years.

The Flyers have the fourth most hits in the NHL; however, only the Flyers and Toronto Maple Leafs have hit the 15-game mark. They drop down to 13th overall in hits per 60 (22.85).

“It’s like Hockey 101. It’s a tough physical sport. You’re going to get hit. You have to take a hit to make a play,” defenseman Nick Seeler said. “You can’t go poking for pucks and hoping something good happens. You have to go make it happen.

“And it’s not always going to be perfect. You’re going to make mistakes, of course, but as long as that effort is there, you’re usually going to come out on the right side of things, and that’s what I’m talking about.”

Added Couturier: “You’ve got to be ready each night. It’s a man’s game and a lot of battles; that’s kind of the basics of the game is battling, winning one-on-one battles, and creating chances off of that.”

Physicality isn’t just hits. It’s using the body to create havoc, turnovers, intimidate, or gain/maintain puck control — i.e., Hunter McDonald chasing down his blocked shot attempt and leveling Jacob Christiansen to keep the Flyers in control against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

But hit stats do provide a glimpse into whether a team is playing hard. Last season the Flyers finished fourth in hits per 60 at 22.46 and hung their hat on being a team that outhustled and outworked opponents. This season, the Florida Panthers are setting the pace with 31.93 hits per game — led by a familiar face in Garnet Hathaway.

This reporter said on the Snow the Goalie: A Flyers Podcast on Oct. 13 that losing Hathaway was the biggest offseason mistake by the Flyers. I stand by it for a couple of reasons.

Sure, Hathaway did not have the best season on the ice, but his ability to grind and get under opponents’ skin often set the tone that the Flyers were a difficult team to face. Off the ice, although he didn’t wear an “A,” he was an unquestioned vocal leader who did not hold back in keeping guys accountable.

And he wasn’t afraid to initiate contact. Hathaway, who enters Thursday tied for the third-most hits in the league, finished last season with the ninth-most hits and the 16th-best hits per 60 mark (22.02). Nic Deslauriers was fifth (26.60) up until he was traded on March 6 to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.

Among all NHL players to play at least six games, 35-year-old Noel Acciari, 69th, is the only Flyer who ranks in the top 90 in hits per 60 this season. While Hathaway and Deslauriers would hardly cure all the team’s current ills, the Flyers could sure use a few more guys with their hunger and presence on and off the ice.

» READ MORE: The Flyers’ ‘rewiring’ of Jett Luchanko and a hot start for a couple of ‘The Jacks’ | Prospect Corner

“It’s not wrong,” coach Rick Tocchet said of Couturier’s “soft” assessment. “There’s certain parts of the game where we need a little bit more dig. I know we’re a little smaller team (the NHL Media site lists the Flyers with an average height of 6-foot-2 and weight of 199 pounds, both of which are pretty close to league average), but it still doesn’t make you an excuse for not getting a loose puck.

“We always talk about body position, especially in pressure situations, and you’ve got to take the body. Don’t have to kill a guy, but I think that’s really what it comes down to if you want to go far, that you have to; you have to be somewhat physical.”

Seeler, who has made a career of being a gritty heart-and-soul player, specifically noted that the grit is “just not there” from this team. When asked why, he said he wasn’t sure. He was then asked if there have been conversations in the room.

“Well, we certainly had some discussions in the room, especially with our starts and after the first. It’s just focus levels and compete levels and playing for the crest. That’s what it’s all about,” he said.

“And it’s not about getting points. It’s not about ‘me, me, me.’ It’s about the team and playing for each other and sacrificing for each other. And it’s really not that difficult to understand. You play for the guy next to you; that’s what Flyers hockey is all about, and when we can start figuring that out at the start ... we will be a better hockey team.”

» READ MORE: Flyers’ ongoing overtime woes down to ‘mind-boggling’ decisions, says Rick Tocchet

It would not be fair to speculate on the target of the comments. The team has disastrous plus-minuses from top to bottom, as even top point-getters like Matvei Michkov (minus-9) and Trevor Zegras (minus-5), and top defenseman Travis Sanheim (minus-10), have struggled to keep the puck out of their net at five-on five. According to Natural Stat Trick, only four players ― Hunter McDonald, Oliver Bonk, Jacob Gaucher, and Denver Barkey ― have a Corsi for percentage above 50% at five-on-five, while those same four, plus Cole Knuble, are the only Flyers with positive expected goals for share. All five of those players are essentially rookies.

“You should never have a me attitude,” Tocchet said. “You’ve got to be careful what your agenda is. There’s times when you should change, get your buddy on the ice when he’s fresh, instead of trying for one more last rush, and then change on the way back.

“Things like that, I think that’s what Nick’s talking about [the] ‘me, me.’ You can’t do that sort of stuff. Accountability starts [with] me. I’ll start to have to take some ice time from that. Leadership is going to have to do a little bit of that too. So I think it’s important that doesn’t creep in your room, 100%. The ‘me, me, I, I’ attitude.”